Email Applications

Email is a very popular way of communicating with others over the Internet. An application that allows users to send, receive, and read email is called an email client. Red Hat Enterprise Linux includes several email applications, including graphical email clients like Evolution and Thunderbird, and text-based clients like mutt. Each of the email client applications is designed to suit specific types of users; so, you can choose one with the features that best suits your particular needs.

The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate how to use some of the popular email applications included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Since all email clients perform the same basic tasks (send and receive email), you should choose one that is convenient and easy to use.

This chapter briefly discusses the following email clients:

• Evolution
• Thunderbird
• Mutt, a text-based email client

Before you launch an email client, you need information from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to configure the client properly. The following is a list of important configuration information:

Your email address

The email address you use to send and receive mail. This is usually in the form of <yourname>@<example.com>. In this example, <yourname> is your user name and <example.com> is the domain name for your ISP.

Server type for receiving email

In order to receive mail, you must know what type of server the ISP is using, POP or IMAP.

POP, short for Post Office Protocol, is used to send email from a mail server to your email client's inbox, the place where incoming email is stored. Most ISP email servers use the POP protocol, although some use the newer IMAP protocol. POP mail is downloaded to your email client directly and does not stay on the server by default (although most email clients can be configured to leave email on the server as well).

IMAP, short for Internet Message Access Protocol, is a protocol for retrieving email messages from your ISP's email server. IMAP differs from POP in that email from IMAP servers are stored on the server and not downloaded to the mail client.

Address for receiving email

In order to receive mail, you must obtain the address of the POP or IMAP server from your ISP. This address is usually in the form of mail.example.com.

Server type for sending email (SMTP)

The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a protocol for sending email messages between mail servers. Most email systems use SMTP to send messages over the Internet; the messages can then be retrieved with an email client using either POP or IMAP. SMTP is also used to send messages from a mail client to a mail server. This is why you need to specify both the POP or IMAP server and the SMTP server when configuring an email application.

If you have any questions regarding what information you need, contact your ISP or network administrator. Unless properly configured, you cannot make full use of the email clients discussed in this chapter.